Half Day Conference on “Guaranteed Minimum Income Policies in Cyprus and Greece and the European Intervention” took place on Thursday, May 11th, at the “Marcos Drakos” Hall, at SEK Building in Nicosia . The conference marked the launch of the European Minimum Income Network (EMIN2) program and was organized by EAPN-Cyprus.

The conference was welcomed online by Fintan Farrell the Project Manager, Ninetta Kazantzis the President of EAPN-Cyprus, SEK (Cyprus Workers’ Confederation) General Secretary Andreas Matsas and the General Manager of the Ministry of Labor and Social Insurance, Andreas Assotis, on behalf of the Minister Mrs Zeta Emilianidou.

The basic presentation of the EMIN2 program was made by EMIN national coordinator Nicos Satsias, who analyzed the program. EMIN2, said Mr Satsias, is an informal network of organisations and individuals, committed to achieve the progressive realisation of adequate, accessible and enabling Minimum Income Schemes.  EMIN unites various experts, professionals, academics and diverse entities active in the fight against poverty and social exclusion.

The second module of the conference consisted of a contribution by the advisor of the Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Insurance, Mr Fanos Kourouphexis, who analyzed the philosophy and policies of the Guaranteed Minimum Income in Cyprus and of course all the related evolutions since the day of the implementation of the new system, July 2014.

Two very interesting contributions were then submitted, by Dr Gabriel Amitsis, Professor of TEI of Athens, entitled  “The Development of Minimum Income Policies in the Greek Social Welfare System” and by Mrs Fotini Marini, SYGKLISIS, on “The Model of National Strategies for Social Integration – Lessons from Greece and Cyprus “.

The seminar was concluded with discussion, interventions by participants and questions. As a general conclusion it was accepted that there is always space for improvement, in all the areas (access, adequacy and enabling) of Guaranteed Minimum Income.

After a long period of consultations, last week the European Commission has published its communication establishing a European Pillar of Social Rights.

We fully support the ambition of the Commission to ensure that the social pillar will be part of the efforts to launch a new process of social convergence within the Economic and Monetary Union ad the EU more generally. The Inter-institutional Proclamation of the European Pillar of Social Rights should contribute to a firm endorsement of all rights enshrined in the pillar by all relevant European Institutions.

We welcome the recognition of the right to adequate minimum income benefits ensuring a life in dignity at all stages of life, and to effective access to enabling goods and services, as part of the European Pillar of Social Rights. However we are concerned with the narrow definition of incentives to reintegrate into the labour market, pointing only at the design of the benefit to preserve financial incentives to take up a job. The Recommendation on active inclusion rightly refers to the need for inclusive labour markets and access to quality services to provide minimum income beneficiaries a fair chance to take up a decent job.

EMIN will shortly produce a more developed position on the Social Pillar and its potential for promoting adequate Minimum Income Schemes.

See the Commisison Staff Working Document (Minimum Income Pages 55-57)